Vampire Hunter
"They cannot outrun me for long. The sun will see to that." Advanced (Core) Vampire Hunters are driven souls who seek to destroy the Undead by any means necessary. Many of them have lost friends and family members to the Restless Dead, most often to their namesake. Since any but the most cursory knowledge of the Undead is a forbidden subject in the Empire, Vampire Hunters are a self-made lot. They congregate quietly with others of their ilk; sharing what little knowledge they’ve gleaned from their more successful encounters with the forces of the Restless Dead in hopes of one day finding a sure method of killing vampires. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Academic Knowledge (History or Necromancy), Common Knowledge (the Empire), Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Shadowing, Search, Silent Move, Speak Language (Classical) Talents: Mighty Shot or Rapid Reload, Specialist Weapon Group (Crossbow), Stout-hearted, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Tunnel Rat Trappings: Repeater Crossbow with 10 Bolts, Medium Armour (Full Mail Armour), Blessed Water, 4 Stakes Career Entries Bounty Hunter, Field Warden, Ghost Strider, Knight, Scout, Tomb Robber Career Exits Demagogue, Initiate, Knight, Targeteer, Witch Hunter A Day in the Life A vampire hunter’s daily life is long hours of fear, hatred, and endurance interrupted by episodes of mind-jarring terror and bloody carnage. As the sun rises the hunter sets about his work, for he knows that only during the day can he enjoy even the illusion of safety. Combining equal measures of caution and haste, he must gather clues of his prey, telltale signs all the undead leave in their wake. This can include tracking and gathering gossip or hours of research and study on long dead families and forgotten locals. Then, if the day is not over, the hunter will try and corner his quarry while it sleeps. More often, there will be days, weeks, or even years of pursuit as vampires are a canny, intelligent, and illusive foe. This means that at the end of each day, fearful of discovery, the hunter must find a defensible place to hole up and wait with stake and hammer for the dawn. Sleep is found only fleetingly for the vampire hunter, always by day, and usually beneath the rays of the sun. This cycle continues until the hunter is successful, or more likely, becomes the hunted. The Hunter’s Curse The profession of vampire hunter is not one many choose willingly. They are often driven to it because of something that happened in their life. Often this is revenge for someone slain by the vampire, though there are occasionally other reasons. Here are a couple of possible vampire hunter motivations, though they are certainly not the only ones. Lost Loved One: Perhaps the most common motivation is the loss of a loved one to the bloodsuckers. The death of wives and daughters especially can twist a man’s soul into a dark knot and convince him to take up the hammer and stake. Jealousy: '''A rare, though not unknown, motivation is jealousy. Some who learn of the existence of vampires, and catch a glimpse of the creature’s dark majesty, want it for themselves. So they turn to hunting these horrors to learn their secrets. '''Death Wish: For some, hunting vampires is a warped kind of suicide. Though they might not admit it to themselves, they push themselves harder and harder and try and tackle progressively more difficult foes in their ultimate quest to die. Many hunters starting out on their journey for other reasons, end up here. Glory: It is not uncommon for some, particularly warriors, to view the hunting of vampires as a measure of prowess, strength, and courage. These crazed individuals delight in the chase and the inevitable life and death struggle, proving themselves greater fighters that the lords of the night.